A man who stabbed South Korean opposition leader Lee Jae-myung in January this year was sentenced to 15 years in prison on Friday (July 5), the news agency Associated Press reported citing court officials.

A man who stabbed South Korean opposition leader Lee Jae-myung in January this year was sentenced to 15 years in prison on Friday (July 5), the news agency Associated Press reported citing court officials. The knife-wielding man attacked Lee, who is the head of the Democratic Party, after approaching him asking for his autograph at an event in the southeastern city of Busan. Lee was stabbed in the neck. On Friday, the Busan District Court said the man was handed the prison term after being found guilty of an attempted murder and a violation of an election law. The court said that both the man and prosecutors have one week to appeal. Attack took place before election The attack happened just months before South Korea's parliamentary election in April, in which the Democratic Party and other opposition parties won a massive victory against President Yoon Suk Yeol’s People Power Party. After being detained by police, the man told investigators that he wanted to kill Lee to prevent him from becoming the country's president. The attacker's identity is not yet known but the police earlier said that he was aged 67. During police questioning, the attacker also said he was unhappy with what he thought was a lack of progress in authorities’ investigations of Lee over various corruption allegations. 'A grave challenge' The court verdict called the attack “a grave challenge” to the country’s election systems and an act that “significantly destroys social consensus and confidence on the basic liberal democratic principles,” a report by the Yonhap news agency said. Citing the verdict, the report said that the attacker had long loathed Lee because of differences of political opinions, practised stabbing his neck in advance and followed him to five public events. (With inputs from agencies)

Man who stabbed South Korean opposition leader Lee sentenced to 15 years in prison

South Korean opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, who was stabbed in the neck earlier this week, is recovering well but needs close monitoring to avoid complications, a doctor from the Seoul National University Hospital said on Thursday (Jan 4), as reported by news agency AFP.

South Korean opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, who was stabbed in the neck earlier this week, is recovering well but needs close monitoring to avoid complications, a doctor from the Seoul National University Hospital said on Thursday (Jan 4), as reported by news agency AFP. Addressing a press conference, Dr Min Seung-kee said that Lee, 59, suffered a 1.4-centimetre pierced wound that cut through his muscle. "Bouts of bleeding were found in his neck," Dr Min said, adding, "There were no signs of damage for artery, cerebral nerve, throat or airway." On Wednesday, Lee was transferred from the intensive care unit to the general ward. The stabbing incident On Tuesday, Lee Jae-myung, a leader of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), was surrounded by journalists in the southern port city of Busan when a man pretending to be a supporter pushed through the crowd and lunged at him, stabbing him on the left side of his neck with a knife. He suffered a wound to his jugular vein. Also read: The moment South Korean oppn politician Lee Jae-myung was stabbed in neck by attacker AFP reported that the 59-year-old opposition leader was first taken to a hospital in Busan and then flown to Seoul where he underwent a nearly two-hour-long surgery. The suspect was identified as 66-year-old Kim, who was arrested at the crime scene. 'Lee could've been killed if...' The DPK said that Lee could have been killed on Tuesday if the attacker's knife had struck his artery, rather than his vein. On Thursday, a court in Busan will review an arrest warrant filed by the prosecution for Kim on the charges of attempted murder, a report by the Yonhap news agency said. The report said that the warrant would allow the police to continue to hold Kim. It added that the 66-year-old suspect had been working as a real estate agent in the South Chungcheong province. (With inputs from agencies)

South Korean opposition leader Lee Jae-myung recovering well after being stabbed

South Korean Opposition leader Lee Jae-Myung was stabbed in the neck at a news conference. The attacker has been reportedly arrested in a dramatic turn of events. Lee was attacked by an unidentified man.

South Korea leader Lee Jae-Myung rushed to hospital after getting stabbed; President condemns attack